{"id":970,"date":"2026-05-22T21:42:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/22\/rubio-urges-more-support-from-nato-allies-to-help-end-iran-war\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T21:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:42:36","slug":"rubio-urges-more-support-from-nato-allies-to-help-end-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=970","title":{"rendered":"Rubio urges more support from NATO allies to help end Iran war"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--banner-top o-ad-container--with-shimmer o-ad-container--with-background\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><br \/>\n                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-type=\"sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-status=\"disabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring__wrapper\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content t-content--article\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-sidebar\">\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">Rubio urges more support from NATO allies to help end Iran war<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                        US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged more support for US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, relaying Trump&#8217;s &#8220;disappointment&#8221; at NATO allies and European partners for failing to step up their efforts to end the Iran war.\u00a0 Rubio made the comments ahead of the arrival of Pakistan\u2019s army chief in Tehran on Friday to advance mediation between Iran and Washington.                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-05-22T21:08:54+00:00\">22\/05\/2026 &#8211; 23:08<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-reading-time\">\n    <span class=\"a-reading-time__icon\" title=\"Reading time\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><br \/>\n    3 min    <span class=\"u-sr-only\">Reading time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/author\/france-24\/\" title=\"FRANCE 24\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                FRANCE 24<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/d55663be-55e6-11f1-94ef-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/2026-05-22T124229Z-1509013379-RC2CELALBKPO-RTRMADP-3-NATO-DIPLOMACY-SWEDEN.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/d55663be-55e6-11f1-94ef-005056a97e36\/w:388\/p:16x9\/2026-05-22T124229Z-1509013379-RC2CELALBKPO-RTRMADP-3-NATO-DIPLOMACY-SWEDEN.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/d55663be-55e6-11f1-94ef-005056a97e36\/w:720\/p:16x9\/2026-05-22T124229Z-1509013379-RC2CELALBKPO-RTRMADP-3-NATO-DIPLOMACY-SWEDEN.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/d55663be-55e6-11f1-94ef-005056a97e36\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/2026-05-22T124229Z-1509013379-RC2CELALBKPO-RTRMADP-3-NATO-DIPLOMACY-SWEDEN.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                <span>United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026.<\/span>                <span>\u00a9 Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Reuters<\/span>            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/pakistan\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Pakistan<\/a>&#8216;s powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/islamabad\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Islamabad<\/a> mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/middle-east\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Middle East<\/a> war.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/iran\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Iran<\/a>&#8216;s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, however, said the visit did not necessarily mean &#8220;we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260522-middle-east-live-nato-allies-to-sound-out-us-top-diplomat-after-trump-iran-ire\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">EU moves to widen sanctions on Iran, threats to freedom of navigation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The disagreements between Iran and the United States were &#8220;deep and extensive&#8221;, he added in quotes carried by Iran&#8217;s ISNA news agency.<\/p>\n<p>US Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Marco Rubio<\/a> had earlier voiced hope of progress on ending the war, which broke out on February 28 when the US and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Israel<\/a> launched attacks against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/ceasefire\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">ceasefire<\/a> on April 8 halted the conflict, but negotiation efforts, including historic face to face talks hosted in Islamabad have so far failed to yield a lasting agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Previous comments by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Donald Trump<\/a> had suggested weeks of stop-start negotiations to strike a permanent end to the war were teetering on the &#8220;borderline&#8221; between a deal and renewed attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan&#8217;s military said in a statement that Field Marshal Asim Munir had &#8220;arrived in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260520-middle-east-war-live-trump-to-attend-g7-summit-in-france-in-june\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">Iran examines new US proposal as Trump says talks are in &#8216;final stages&#8217;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It said he had been welcomed by Iran&#8217;s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi.<\/p>\n<p>Naqvi visited Iran for the second time in a week on Wednesday and met President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/masoud-pezeshkian\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Masoud Pezeshkian<\/a> and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.<\/p>\n<p>Baqaei said a delegation from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/qatar\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Qatar<\/a> had also held talks with the Iranian foreign minister on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In recent days, many countries\u00a0\u2013 both regional and non-regional\u00a0\u2013 have been trying to help bring the war to an end&#8230; However, Pakistan remains the official mediator.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan, Iran&#8217;s eastern neighbour, hosted in April the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials to take place since the war began.<\/p>\n<p>Munir was at the centre of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying bonhomie with US Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">JD Vance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But the talks ultimately failed, with Iran accusing the US of making &#8220;excessive demands&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the two sides have exchanged multiple proposals, with the threat of renewed war looming all along.<\/p>\n<h2>Hormuz\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Iranian media had reported on Thursday that Munir had been due in Tehran that day in order to continue &#8220;talks and consultations&#8221; with Iranian authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio later said to reporters of the Pakistani visit: &#8220;Hopefully that&#8217;ll advance this further.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, he said that Trump&#8217;s &#8220;disappointment&#8221; with America&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/nato\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">NATO<\/a> allies over a lack of support in the Iran war would need to be &#8220;addressed&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio added that he told European countries they may have to come up with a &#8220;Plan B&#8221; to help force open the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> if the war with Iran drags on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Watch more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tv-shows\/spotlight\/20260522-trump-disappointed-in-nato-plan-b\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">Trump disappointed in NATO: Plan B?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tehran effectively closed the key shipping lane, through which large amounts of oil and gas usually travel, in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes launched in February.<\/p>\n<p>The future of the Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in negotiations, with fears growing that the global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/economy\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">economy<\/a> will be hit hard as pre-war oil stockpiles are depleted.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/european-union\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">European Union<\/a> nations moved on Friday towards imposing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/sanctions\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">sanctions<\/a> on Iranian officials and others responsible for blocking the strait.<\/p>\n<p>Baqaei also listed the situation in the strait and a US blockade of Iranian ports as issues to be examined.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The issue of ending the war on all fronts, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Lebanon<\/a>, is very important,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<h2>Lebanon front\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hezbollah<\/a> drew Lebanon into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/middle-east\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Middle East<\/a> war with rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran&#8217;s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n<p>Since a truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also kept up attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Lebanon&#8217;s health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,111 people in Lebanon since March 2.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry said Israeli strikes on the south killed 10 people on Friday, including six rescuers and a child.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli military also announced a separate airstrike that killed two people in an area in southern Lebanon where it is fighting Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<p>The United States on Thursday sanctioned nine Hezbollah-linked individuals it accused of &#8220;obstructing the peace process in Lebanon&#8221;, including two officers.<\/p>\n<p>It marked the first time Lebanese officers have been sanctioned by the United States.<\/p>\n<p><em>(FRANCE 24 with AFP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"o-sidebar__aside\">\n<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--box o-ad-container--with-shimmer\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><br \/>\n                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__tags t-content__below-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/iran-conflict\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Iran war\">    Iran war<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Marco Rubio\">    Marco Rubio<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/nato\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"NATO\">    NATO<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/european-union\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"European Union\">    European Union<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Donald Trump\">    Donald Trump<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/usa\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"USA\">    USA<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Lebanon\">    Lebanon<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Israel\">    Israel<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertising Rubio urges more support from NATO allies to help end Iran war Middle East&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}